Islamabad, Feb 9 (PTI) Pakistan will invest USD 1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030 as part of efforts to build an “AI-ecosystem”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Indus AI Week 2026, which is being held from Feb 9 to 15 here, Shehbaz also said that Pakistan was ready to join the world in AI and would roll out programs to help move young people from IT technicians to AI experts.
“The Government of Pakistan is committed to investing $1 billion in AI by 2030, which will go a long way in building an AI ecosystem in our country,” he said.
He said an AI curriculum would be introduced “not only in all federally-controlled or -run schools but all schools” of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region. He also said that the plan would be implemented in remote parts of Balochistan.
He expressed confidence that the event would be a “game changer” for the country’s technology landscape.
The Prime Minister also announced to provide 1,000 fully-funded PhD scholarships in AI to students across the country by 2030, which is aimed at building Pakistan’s “world-class research centre fully capacitated”.
He added that the government aims to empower the youth, which he said comprises 60 per cent of the country’s total population.
“Last but not least, we will launch a nationwide program to train one million non-IT professionals in AI skills, enabling them to enhance productivity and improve livelihoods,” he said.
The development comes as Pakistan’s IT exports recently showed remarkable growth.
For the first half of FY2025–26 (July-December), total IT exports reached $2.24 billion, with monthly figures peaking at $437 million in December, a 26% increase year-on-year. PTI SH ZH ZH
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